Eating Disorder Help in the UK: Advice, Support and Your First Steps
If you have found yourself searching for eating disorder help in the UK, you may already have spent weeks, or longer, wondering whether something is really wrong.
Perhaps food, weight or your body is taking up more of your thoughts than it used to. Maybe eating has become increasingly difficult or stressful. Or perhaps you are worried about a child, partner, friend or family member and simply don’t know what to do next.
You do not need to be certain that you have an eating disorder before asking for help. You also don’t need to wait until things become more serious. Recognising that something has changed and reaching out for advice can be an important first step.
1.25M
people living with an eating disorder
Eating disorder help in the UK is available through the NHS, national charities such as Beat, and specialist services such as The London Centre. You do not need a formal diagnosis or GP referral to approach The London Centre for a specialist assessment, and appointments may be available quickly, either in person or online. NICE recommends that people with a suspected eating disorder are assessed and treated at the earliest opportunity.
46%
of Adults feel unhappy about their appearance
how Do You Know If You Need Help?
Eating disorders do not always look the way people expect them to.
You do not have to be visibly underweight, and you do not need to fit neatly into a particular diagnosis. Eating disorders and disordered eating can affect people of every age, gender, weight and background.
It is worth seeking eating disorder advice if:
Weight alone cannot tell us how psychologically or physically unwell somebody is. If something feels wrong, that is enough reason to have a conversation with someone who understands eating disorders.
Early help matters. NICE guidance recommends assessment and treatment at the earliest opportunity rather than waiting for symptoms to become more established. Seeking support early can also mean there is more opportunity to intervene before eating-disorder behaviours become increasingly embedded in everyday life.
the Routes To Eating Disorder Help in the UK
Where can I get help for eating disorders? In the UK, the main routes are your GP and NHS eating disorder services, eating disorder charities such as Beat, or a specialist private eating disorder service.
Your GP and NHS services
Your GP is often a good place to start, particularly if there may be concerns about your physical health. Some GPs have considerable experience in assessing eating disorders, while others may have less. GPs are not specialist eating disorder clinicians, but they can assess your general and physical health, arrange relevant checks and make a referral to local NHS eating disorder services where appropriate.
NHS specialist treatment is free, although referral criteria, availability and waiting times vary between areas.
If you have physical symptoms such as fainting, significant weakness, chest pain, dehydration or other symptoms that concern you, seek prompt medical advice rather than waiting for a therapy appointment.
Eating disorder charities, helplines and local support
Beat is the UK’s eating disorder charity and provides information and support to people affected by eating disorders, including family and friends. Its services include telephone helplines, one-to-one webchat and online peer-support groups. A diagnosis is not required to use Beat’s support services.
Beat can be particularly useful if you want to talk through what is happening, find information or work out what your next step might be. Depending on where you live, there may also be local eating disorder charities, peer-support groups or other community support available. Your GP or local NHS eating disorder service may be able to signpost you to these. Charity and peer-support services can be valuable sources of information and support, but they do not replace specialist clinical assessment or treatment where this is needed.
Specialist private eating disorder support
If you would like to speak directly to a specialist, The London Centre accepts self-referrals. You do not need a GP referral or an existing eating disorder diagnosis before contacting us.
A specialist assessment allows us to understand what has been happening and recommend the level and type of support that may be most appropriate.
For people who do not want to wait for a standard appointment, our fast-track assessment pathway can provide quicker access to an initial specialist opinion.
How to Get Seen Quickly: Outpatient and Online Options
Many people imagine that eating disorder treatment might mean having to enter hospital or could interfere with school, university, work or family life. For the majority of people, however, treatment can take place on an outpatient basis and appointments can often be arranged around their existing commitments and routines.
At The London Centre, our multidisciplinary outpatient team includes psychologists, psychiatrists, dietitians, family therapists and other eating disorder specialists. Treatment is planned around the individual rather than following the same pathway for everyone.
For those needing more support than standard weekly outpatient therapy, our Intensive Outpatient Programme offers a higher frequency of specialist input while allowing people to remain within their everyday environment.
This can be particularly valuable because recovery is not only something that happens inside a therapy room. New skills and eating patterns have to become possible at home, at school, at university, at work and in relationships.
Where can I find online therapy services for eating disorders in the UK?
The London Centre provides specialist eating disorder consultations and therapy online for people across the UK. Our remote consultations allow you to work with members of our specialist team without needing to travel to one of our clinics.
Online appointments can include psychology and other elements of multidisciplinary care where appropriate. For many people, this makes specialist treatment easier to fit around work, education, caring responsibilities or where they live.
Where physical or medical monitoring is needed, we will discuss how this should be arranged alongside remote treatment.
How to Help a Friend or Loved One With an Eating Disorder
How can you help a friend with an eating disorder? Start by choosing a calm, private moment and explaining what you have noticed from a position of care rather than criticism. Listen, avoid arguing about food or weight, and gently encourage them to speak to an eating disorder specialist.
You might say that you have noticed they don’t seem themselves, that meals appear increasingly difficult, or simply that you are worried about how they are feeling.
Try to avoid comments about how they look, whether they appear to have lost or gained weight, or what they are eating. Eating disorders are complex, and conversations focused only on food or appearance can easily become confrontational.
It can help to:
You cannot force somebody to feel ready for recovery. However, you can continue to express concern calmly and consistently.
Parents, partners and other loved ones can also contact The London Centre to discuss the support available and how best to take the next step, even if the person they are worried about is uncertain about treatment.
ADVICE OR THOSE STRUGGLING WITH EATING DISORDERS
What Actually Happens When You Ask for Help?
For many people, not knowing what an assessment will involve can make reaching out feel more frightening than it needs to.
A first eating disorder assessment is a conversation, not a test that you have to pass.
Your clinician will usually ask about what has been happening with food and eating, how you feel about your body, when the difficulties began and how they are affecting your life. They may ask about your physical and mental health, previous treatment and what you would like to change.
You do not need to arrive knowing your diagnosis or exactly what treatment you want.
The aim is to develop a shared understanding of what is happening and make recommendations together. Depending on your needs, this might involve psychological therapy, dietetic support, family work or an assessment with an eating disorder psychiatrist where appropriate.
Assessments can take place in person or online. You can also read more about what starting therapy with our specialist team involves.
Your First Steps Today
If everything feels overwhelming, you do not need to solve the whole problem today. Start with one step:
You don’t need to decide today what the whole of recovery will look like. You only need to decide what the next useful step might be.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
taking the first step
Start Your Journey
If you are worried about yourself or somebody you love, you don’t have to wait until you are certain that it is an eating disorder – or until things become worse – before asking for help.
The London Centre provides specialist eating disorder assessment and treatment for children, young people and adults, with appointments available both in person and remotely.
You can get in touch if you have specific questions about treatment or would like a little more information about the options available, or you can book a confidential specialist assessment. There is no obligation to know what treatment you need beforehand or to continue with treatment after an assessment.
Sometimes the most important step is simply beginning the conversation.
